章節 23: - Shockwave
Jade helped Dante drag the unconscious woman through the winding alleyways. Hyunji and Min-jun followed just behind them, keeping a lookout for potential attackers.
Kenji and the ship were over a mile away still, and already, Jade was feeling tired.
To ignore the pain forming in his arms and legs, Jade let his mind wander. He hadn't expected to be on an entirely different planet just a day after being trapped in the asylum. It was almost too much for his brain to comprehend.
His sister. It seemed like just minutes ago that she had been alive, but also like a different lifetime. His escape, her death, had all led to him meeting Hyunji. And now he was on another planet, carrying an unconscious woman through the dark alleys.
His sister, his mind thought again. It was heart wrenching what had happened, and Jade felt a sense of guilt wash over him. He was supposed to protect his sister. He had promised.
'Once we get out, we can take a long rest, I promise,' he had said. But only he had gotten out, and since then, he'd had no time to truly rest. And it looked like it would be that way for the foreseeable future. The thought of his sister made his chest tighten, and Jade found himself tearing up.
"You holding up okay?" Dante asked, glancing back at Jade. "A kid your age probably doesn't go through things like this everyday."
"I'm fine," Jade said shortly, blinking away the tears.
There was the sound of rattling engines, and Dante and Jade stopped up short, staying in the darkness of the alley. The same convoy passed by, a line of at least fifteen military vehicles. From there on, the group found themselves ducking and hiding to avoid detection. Jade had to switch out with Min-jun at the halfway point when his arms started to give out.
"Why the hell did you do it anyways?" Hyunji pestered over Min-jun's shoulder. "Tell me."
"I have my reasons, Hyunji. Seriously, let it be!" Min-Jun exclaimed.
Hyunji growled angrily. "I'll kill you after we get out of this, brother. You're gonna tell me the truth."
"Dead men don't talk. I'd prefer the execution."
After that, the group walked in silence, and Jade could tell Dante was just as confused about the argument as he was.
Finally, he broke the silence. "How much longer till we reach the ship?" Jade asked.
"We should be coming across it soon, probably in the next few minutes," Hyunji answered quietly. "That bastard better still be there."
The buildings they were passing by began to grow smaller, and Jade knew that they were reaching the outskirts of the city. Out in the distance was nothing, just a wasteland of darkness. Maybe there weren't any other cities nearby. Maybe there weren't any others on the entire planet. Jade took a deep breath of the air to calm his nerves, momentarily closing his eyes.
When he opened them again, he stopped up short. There was a large figure standing in their path.
"Who are you?" Dante asked.
The man did not respond. Instead, he took a step forward, until his face revealed itself in the streetlight.
Jade felt a chill run down his spine. He knew this man. Behind him, Hyunji gasped.
The Consortium, Jade remembered. The man from the line, who had threatened Hyunji. Jade hadn't realized how real those threats were until this moment.
"RUN!!!!!!!!!" Hyunji screamed, pushing Jade behind her. Jade stumbled back as Hyunji grabbed Min-jun and pulled him away from the woman and Dante.
The woman's legs fell to the ground and Jade watched as Dante struggled to move her away.
The large man smiled, his third eye blinking with joy. His fist began to glow a dark purple, as if a light bulb had been placed inside it.
Jade could sense the energy in the air being sucked away. Something big was coming. He stumbled forward, past Hyunji and Min-jun.
The enemy ignited his fist and jumped up into the air. He stalled out at about thirty feet, where he pinpointed his targets below. His fist began to glow brighter as he flew downwards. The oxygen in the air was sucked away, and Jade began to choke. But he pushed on, until Dante and the unconscious woman were just behind him.
Just before the man's fist slammed into the ground, Jade held his hands up. A shield of energy formed in front of him, growing until it surrounded everyone.
He felt the vibrations of the attack first, as if the very planet was shaking. At first, Jade was sure he could hold the shield. But the pressure kept increasing, until he couldn't hold on anymore.
The shield of energy shattered and Jade felt himself flying backward.
Then came the sound of the impact, a high pitched screech that reminded Jade of fireworks, just before they exploded.
Boom.
The deep explosion echoed across the planet, momentarily deafening Jade.
Next to him, a house began to crumble, and Jade pushed himself out of the way. His hearing began to return, and it was met with the sound of screaming from all across the city.
An alarm was going off, and the ground continued to rumble. Jade looked around and saw more buildings crashing to the ground. A moment later, everything within a half mile had been completely leveled.
Jade coughed and tried to stand, but he felt dizzy. His head pounded with pain, and he reached to the back of his head, which was wet with blood.
A sense of nausea overcame him and Jade collapsed back to the ground.
"Hmm? It seems there's someone with a bit of talent here," the man said, stepping forward.
Jade tried to look around. Everyone seemed to be alive. Hyunji was already standing, her blade in hand.
The man turned to Dante, who was coughing as he placed a hand on the woman's neck. He was checking for a pulse.
"You wanted to know who I was, right?" Said the attacker. "Hyunji knows. And she knows what I'm after. Who I'm after." The man said, pointing toward Min-jun. "I am Bendrir. I'm here to take your lives, and that million dollar bounty!"
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